Barack Obama’s visit to UK sparks widespread drone ban

Drones are to be banned across huge swaths of London during Barack Obama’s upcoming visit to the UK capital.
The US President is will arrive in London on Thursday, and safety restrictions are already being put in place, including the drone no-fly zone.
The ban even extends as far as Windsor, where Obama is due to have lunch with the Queen, the BBC notes.
The restrictions were requested by the Secretary of State for Transport, and authorised by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority.
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It continues: “As part of the overarching security plan, the Secretary of State for Transport has decided it is necessary to introduce the following Restriction of Flying Regulations under article 161 of the Air Navigation Order 2009.”
The briefing sheet then lists an extensive lists of areas, defined by coordinates, in which no aircraft are permitted to fly below 2,500 feet above “mean sea level”.
It defines an aircraft as “any small balloon, any kite weighing not more than two kilograms, any small unmanned aircraft, and any parachute including a parascending parachute”.
The restricted areas
The restrictions will be in place from 09:00 (BST) on Thursday to 22:30 (BST) on Sunday.
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The ban comes just days after police announced they were investigating a pilot’s claim that a drone collided with a commercial jet at London Heathrow Airport.
London’s Met police said that they were contacted on Sunday afternoon by the pilot of flight BA727 from Geneva to London, who alleged that the Airbus A320 aeroplane was struck by a drone.
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